The Cremisan Valley, situated between the West Bank and Jerusalem, is slated once more to be divided by Israel's controversial concrete barrier — separating more than 50 Palestinian families from their agricultural land. (photo: Getty Images/AFP/Musa Al Shaer)

‘Regret and concern’ over the Cremisan Valley wall(Fides) The E.U. Missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah have released a statement of the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to allow the construction of a section of the separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley. The statement, which is dated 10 July, expressed “deep regret and concern” regarding the court’s decision…

Iraqi Christians form militia, battle ISIS(NBC News) Iraqi Christians driven from their homes by ISIS have formed their own militia and are fighting alongside their “Muslim brothers” to retake their homeland from the extremists. The 1,000-strong Babylonian Brigades is the only Christian militia under the Shiite-dominated umbrella group of volunteer fighters known as the Popular Mobilization Forces…

U.N. report: 15,000 civilians killed in Iraq(Al Jazeera) The conflict in Iraq has killed nearly 15,000 people and wounded 30,000 during a 16-month period ending on 30 April, according to a U.N. report released Monday. The U.N. mission in Iraq and the U.N. human rights office said in the report that violations of international humanitarian law and gross human rights abuses by ISIS group, which controls large swaths of Iraq’s north and west, may in some cases amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly genocide…

The Chaldean Church of St. Joseph in Mosul transformed into a mosque(Fides) As with the church dedicated to St. Ephrem, the Chaldean church dedicated to St. Joseph in Mosul has been transformed into a mosque by ISIS. Some pictures of the place of worship show that the dome has been painted black, and the church has been stripped of all crosses and Christian symbols and images. The mosque seems to have been named after Abu Abdulrahman al Bilawi, an Iraqi commander of Daesh killed by Iraqi police…

Ancient Assyrian church in Turkey could become a mosque(AINA) An ancient church in Turkey could be turned into a mosque, despite the pleas of local Syriac Christians who want to restore it to its former glory. The St. Joseph Church in Mardin, southeastern Turkey, is believed to date back to the fourth century. It is currently being used as a warehouse, but its current owner, Ibrahim Aycun, has put it on the market for $4.5 million dollars — far more than the local Christian community can pay. The Daily Sabah website reports that neighbours claim Aycun wants the building converted into a mosque, though he has refused to comment…

Construction begins on Hungary’s anti-migration fence(Vatican Radio) Hungary has begun building a controversial anti-migration fence on the country’s southern border with Serbia. The government says the project is aimed at halting the unprecedented flow of tens of thousands of migrants, but rights activists, the European Union and the United Nations refugees agency have expressed concerns…